Loom shuttle



D. L. WIGGIN April 13, 1937.

LOOM SHUTTLEL I Original Filed Nov. 27, 1933 ty Rated J ltfoww Patented Apr. 13, 1937 LOOM SHUTTLE Dana L. Wiggin, SouthbridgegMass, assignor. t

Albert E. Leon, Belmont, Mass.

Application November 27, 1933,,Serial No. 69.9;829

Renewed August 11, 1936 Claims. (Cl; 139'-207) This invention relates to loom shuttles and particularly that type of shuttles provided with bobbin forks adapted for use in weft replenishing looms that are provided with means for driving 5 a fullbobbin into the shuttle when the filling on the bobbin, previously contained in the shuttle, hasbecome exhausted.

As is well known, the hammer, which at the same operation drives out the old bobbin and drives in the new bobbin, produces a very powerful-blow or shock upon thebobbin holding fork when changing bobbins and consequently subjects the fork and its attaching means to repeated and heavy strains tending to loosen the fork in its bobbin. From time to time various means have been proposed and practiced for meeting these exacting conditions but without complete success.

According to common practice, the fork structure embraces a fork proper comprising a rearward U-shaped shank portion with forwardly extending, more widely spaced bobbin-engaging and holding jaws. A spreader or spacing block was forced between the side members of the shank and a deflector or guide plate was formed with rearward top and bottom extensions adapted to tightly grip the upper and lower edges of the fork shank, these three parts forming an assemblage unit or fork structure which were in- 30 serted in the channelled rear portion of. the shuttle body andwere then attached in'place by the usual horizontal tie bolt passing through aligned-perforations in theshuttle body, the fork shank and the spreader block. Since 'the impact of the bobbin being inserted was exerted in a downward direction upon the forward end portions of the bobbin fork, it is clear that the horizontal tie bolt could have no effect in resisting thedownward torque which such impact 40 tended to produce on the fork. This torque was commonly resisted principally by the bottom shelf or thin web of wood forming the floor of the.

fork-receiving recess, which shelf was necessarily quite thin since it was necessary to cut away the 45 shuttle body nearly to the bottom of the shuttle in order to make room for properly receiving-the fork structure. To relieve the strains on the bottom shelf it was proposed to use a wood screw tapped into the wood after passing through a 50 rearward extension of the top member of the guide plate, which was very unsatisfactory because the repeated stresses on the wood screw tended to work it loose and render it valueless. Next it was proposed to use a vertical through 55 bolt passed down through the fork shank to the rear of the spreader block. This, however, had

little effect in relieving strains on the thin botsolidwood'of the shuttle.

Theprinciple of construction embodied in the presentinyention avoids the objectionable weaknessthat was inherent in bobbin fork attaching means by providing a body of superior strength 10 through avoidance of excessive cutting away of the wood of the rear part to receive. the fork structure and at the same-time providing an attaching construction by which a vertical through bolt is inserted in and held by the solid wood b:dy of the shuttle throughout almost its entire length, while forming clampingengagement with the rear end portions of. the guide plate upon the interposed solid'wood of the'shuttleat asub stantial distance to the rear end of the fork shank sufiicient to allow the overlapping end portions of' the plate to be sprung toward each other into powerful gripping engagement with the solid portion of the shuttle body. This and other features of the invention will be particularly described in the accompanying specification and will be-defined in'the claims hereto annexed.

In' the'accompanying drawing-there is illustrateda simple and convenient constructionillus trating and embodying the principles of this invention, in which V Fig; 1 is a plan view of the rear half ofa shuttle body containing the improved bobbin fork construction.

Fig. 2 isa central vertical section on plane 3 2-'-2 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the plane 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The shuttlebody or blank of which the shuttle is made is-of the usual construction comprising the-rear part i and a similar forepart, not shown, integrally connected by side walls 2 forming the usual bobbin chamber of the shuttle. The for ward end of the rear part is cut away down to the-bottom shelf 4, the form of the recess or forkreceiving well being approximately semicircular in contour, as shown at 3. Extending rearwardly from the bobbin-receiving well is a narrow channel or recess 5 dimensioned-to snugly receiveand fit around themiddle U-shaped'shank 'portion 6 of the shuttle fork, whose arms are extended and spread apart forwardly to form the bobbin holding jaws in the usual manner, except that the shank portion and its receiving recess 5 is substantially shorter in the axial di- 5 rection of the shuttle than has heretofore been the practice.

The deflector or guide plate 8 comprises the inclined forward portion for directing the base of the bobbin toward the jaws and an upper arm or extension 9 and a lower arm or extension II], which extend rearwardly a considerable distance beyond the rear end of the fork when the deflector plate is'forced over the shank portion of the fork in order to provide clamping tongues or extensions 9 and Ill which are: inserted in horizontal receiving slots or slits formed in the walls 5 of the shank-receiving channel. spreader or spacing block I I is forced between the sides of the shank member 6 and abuts against the bent rear end of the shank. A tie bolt l2 passes horizontally through the rear part of the shuttle and aligned holes in the shank and in the spreader II and serves to firmly anchor the fork structure against displacement axially of the shuttle.

To provide an anchorage that will resist the downward thrust upon the clamping jaws of the fork, there is provided a vertical anchoring bolt M which passes through aligned openings in the rearward extensions 9 and l0 of the guide plate and which, in conjunction with the clamping nut [5, serves to powerfully clamp the two extensions firmly upon the interposed solid Wood portion l of the body. This vertical through bolt is located at a substantial distance behind the rear end of the fork shank so that the ends 9, Ill may be sprung into tight clamping engagement by the bolt and nut with the interposed wood, since obviously such clamping action on the wood could not be exerted by a vertical through bolt when passed down inside of the shank portion. It will be seen that the anchoring through bolt has firm engagement with the solid wood of the shuttle throughout almost its entire length, while at the same time producing simultaneously a strong clamping action upon the shank of the fork as well as upon the solid wood body of the shuttle, so that a permanent and reliable and direct anchorage of the fork structure to the solid part of the shuttle body is always maintained. The very compression of the extensions 9 and I9 upon the interposed wood by the powerful clamping action of the bolt and nut serves to lock the through bolt against loosening, since it has much of the effect of a spring lock-nut washer. With this construction the through bolt has such a large and firm anchorage in the wood body itself, that it opposes a powerful resistance to'any downward torque of the fork structure. Moreover, the mode of recessing or cutting the rear part avoids the excessive cutting away of the material and the consequent weakening of the rear part or heel of the shuttle body. With this principle of construction there is provided a strong substantially unweakened shuttle body and a strong attaching means for firmly and securely anchoring the fork structure to that body, both bolts being firmly held in the solid wood of the shuttle body in perpendicular relation to each other.

What I claim is:

l. A loom shuttle embracing in its construction a bobbin fork structure comprising a bobbin fork having bobbin-holding jaws and a rearward U- The usual Y nut attached to the end of said bolt, thereby positively clamping the fork structure directly to the shuttle body rearwardly of said shank.

2. The combination with a bobbin fork comprising gripping jaws and a rearward shank member, of a deflector element having top and bottom rearwardly extending fork clamping members whose rear ends project a substantial distance back of the fork shank to embrace an intervening body portion of the shuttle body, and an anchoring bolt extending vertically through the projecting rear ends of the plate and the interposed intervening portion of the shuttle body, and acting to clamp both clamping members upon the compressible solid wood to the rear of the bobbin fork.

3. The combination with a shuttle body of a bobbin fork comprising a rear shank portion and forwardly extending bobbin gripping jaws, a guide element having top and bottom rearward forkembracing extensions, a vertical through bolt inserted in, and engaged by, the solid shuttle body for the greater part of the bolt length outside and behind the rear end of the fork, said bolt penetrating through the rear end portions of the extensions of the guide element, thereby clamping said extensions firmly upon both the intervening fork shank and the intervening solid portion of the shuttle body.

4. In a loom shuttle, the combination with a shuttle body recessed for the reception of a bobbin fork structure, of a fork comprising a pair of bobbin holding jaws and a rearwardly extending shank member, a deflector plate provided with rearwardly extending top and bottom shank clamping members having their rear end portions projecting substantially back of the end of the shank and provided with vertically aligned perforations, and anchoring means penetrating said perforated end portions for clamping them upon an intervening portion of the shuttle body.

5. The combination with a shuttle body recessed for the reception of a bobbin fork structure, of a bobbin fork comprising gripping jaws and a rearwardly extending shank member, a fork holding guide element having top and bottom rearward extensions embracing the top and bottom faces of the fork shank and having perforated end portions projecting rearwardly b yond the shank and embracing between them a solid portion of the shuttle body, said top and bottom extensions being fitted into undercut horizontal slots formed in the side walls of the shank-receiving recess, and a vertical bolt penetrating the projecting perforated rear end portions of the guide element and forming positive interlocking anchoring connection between the body and said guide member.

DANA L. WIGGIN. 

